I started a new grow about 8 months ago, from the beginning i have battled purple petioles and purple streaks in the stem, then as they flower everything looks like normal Indicas, but around 7 wks into flower they start getting cloudy trichomes but they never mature, from week 7 on they r 15% cloudy and 85% clear,

at week 11 of 12/12 they start drinking less and dying, which is normal, its how they drop their seeds in nature,
this plant did everything it was supposed to do, but the trich’s never matured, of course,
the 1st pics is at ~7 wks, the brown mess is ~13 wks of 12/12

This has been going on for 8 months and i have tried to resolve this problem in many ways,
I have spent weeks trying each new thing…
swapped from HID to QB lighting, peat to coco, city water to well water, watered more, watered less, high P low N, high pH, low pH, Epsom Salt…

Currently using coco/perlite, General Hydroponics Maxi line, Alaska Micro, in a mixture of city and well water, pH 6.3 - 6.8, EC 0.7 - 1.4 (350-700’ppm’)

There are no light leaks, it is as dark as a cave in there.!
been adding 3/4 tsp per gallon Micro because in my researching this mess i found the Maxi has no Zinc or Boron in it, cannabis doesn’t need much of either, but both r necessary.

How do I remedy the purple and get mature trichomes.???
Any thoughts, ideas, theories, and brain farts are welcome.!!

this is kind of urgent, there r 4 Nirvana seedlings that will be cloned and heading to flower in a month, PLEASE HELP them mature to their full awesomeness.!!
and they r showing the same purple’ling…

The first set of pics there doesn’t seem to be any bud sites on the plant? Also if you’re in co co your ph should be lower than what you’ve said you measured. Let’s gets some help @raustin@blackthumbbetty one of these two will get you straight or knows someone that can help.

Buds look undeveloped… are you absolutely sure that lights come on and off at the same time… is this just one strain that your having problems with…?
Something just dont look right…
More info needed…
As many details as possible…

During the course of growth, a grower may come upon the appearance of purple stems on their seedlings. Don’t panic. A seedling with purple stem is not exactly an unhealthy seedling. Usually, this purple stem phenomenon is brought about by the plant’s genetic make-up. If that is the case, it is absolutely expected for the seedling to exhibit purple stem during the course of its life.

Note: The purple stem trait is not exactly a dominant trait which means that cases like this are very rare.

Purple Stem Phenomenon
It is completely natural for a young sprout to have a purple stem. This can be attributed to the fact that the sprout is still adjusting to its environment or that it is, to some extent, needing a nutrient. In this type of situation, the seedling will be back to tip-top shape within a few days. The stems will be green and will continue to grow given that ideal growing conditions are met.

If you think that neither plant genetics nor seedling’s adjustment is the reason behind the appearance of purple stem then maybe it was caused by nutrient deficiency. A seedling usually develops purple stem when it lacks either Phosphorous § or Magnesium (Mg). You can tell which of the compounds is lacking by checking the seedling’s leaves. If the leaves are brittle or has gray spots on them then your seedling has Phosphorous deficiency. To offset this deficiency, growers should make increase pH to make it a little bit acidic. A level of 6.0 will be enough.

are you absolutely sure that lights come on and off at the same time… is this just one strain that your having problems with…?

yes, the light schedule has been checked many times over,
currently running bag seed, 2 obviously different strains, had a bag seed that germinated great and vegged 7females, 3 or 4 phenos, kept 4 of them for mommas, all exhibit the same non-maturing trichs and purple petioles and streaks on the stem.

dbrn32:

Do you have a single clear picture of dying plant that displays mostly clear trichs?

i will post some more pics after this post.!!

Midwestnewbie:

Also if you’re in co co your ph should be lower than what you’ve said you measured.

i have tried every pH from 5.8 to 7.0, they seem to be happiest in the low to mid 6’s, no matter where the pH is they never loose the purple and never mature.

garrigan65:

If you think that neither plant genetics nor seedling’s adjustment is the reason behind the appearance of purple stem then maybe it was caused by nutrient deficiency. A seedling usually develops purple stem when it lacks either Phosphorous § or Magnesium (Mg). You can tell which of the compounds is lacking by checking the seedling’s leaves. If the leaves are brittle or has gray spots on them then your seedling has Phosphorous deficiency. To offset this deficiency, growers should make increase pH to make it a little bit acidic. A level of 6.0 will be enough.

definitely not genetics or seedlings adjusting, I have boosted the P and Mg levels, even bumped them up to toxic levels at one point, I have run 5.8-6.0 pH, but the plants did not like it so now i m back up to 6.3 - 6.8 when feeding, I feed every watering 0.7 - 1.4 EC depending on size/stage of plant,

Thank you all for responding and responding so quickly.!!!

I grew outside for 4 or 5 yrs, moved indoors under T12 floro in my 20’s, quickly advanced to MH, then MH for veg and MH/HPS for flower, did the indoor thing for 5 or 6 yrs, moved and took a 10 yr break and designed/built a custom self contained stealth grow box, fired up the new set up about 8 months ago and this problem has been a pain in my ass ever since,

this situation is so depressing, i m growing clones for 3 months and not producing smoke worth smoking much less worth bragging about, that is just wrong.!!

a perpetual set up, 4 plants harvested and 4 put into 12/12 every 2-3 wks

stems can be red, along with red petioles that can happen when having a Phosphorus
deficiency. This isn’t a
sure sure sign of you having one though, but can be a sign. Some strains just show
the red petioles and stems
from its genes.

Ladies look washed out. Color should be medium to dark green…yours are very pale green. Almost yellow…not enough goodies to produce the goodies you seek.

the strain that happens to be in the forefront is a Nitrogen hog, the next run of her is looking a lot better since i have figured that out now.!!
the ones in the pics were given extra N, but they never lost the yellow look.
it has been a touchy strain all together, tuff to clone also.

looks like this is built against a home. Is this box outside? What kind of temp swings do you have?

this is in a garage with a window shaker a/c, an infrared heater and a dehumidifier, temps stay between 68-78 and RH 40-50%, except when the fan shuts down for an hour, then the RH creeps up to mid 70’s, but it quickly comes back down to 50%.!

Seeing your marijuana plant with purple stems can be a little scary. You may become quite worried about the overall health of your plant, but this may not be as bad as you think. Below are some things you need to know about this.

Purple marijuana stems

Let’s say you are growing your plants indoors, the plants are still fairly young and the leave are average in size, but you notice the stems have turned a purple color starting from the top.

purple weed stem
Purple stem

If you notice the stem of your seedling or marijuana plant has turned purple and there are no more indications of issues, this means their problem is genetic. There are certain marijuana strains that automatically grow with purple stems, more so when the seedlings are budding, or even once the plants start receiving cooler temperatures during the night.

Solution for purple stems

If your plant seems to be in good condition aside from the stems being purple, refrain from making any changes for a one or two weeks. The majority of the time the plants will turn green fairly quickly. Provided that your leaves appear to be healthy and there aren’t any of issues you are aware of, most likely the purple stems are nothing to be concerned about.

If you suspect that your marijuana plant may have a nutrient deficiency, maybe because the plant growth has slowed down or the color of the leaves is fading, then your plant could be magnesium deficient. This can sometimes create purples stems.

purple stems cannabis
Plant with all stems purple

If this is the case, the issue will be resolved with ease by adding more magnesium the next time you water your marijuana plant.

Here are some great magnesium sources for your plants:

Epsom salt, just add 1 tablespoon per gallon

Cal-Mag

A nutrient solution that works well with marijuana has the proper amount of magnesium for your plants

Usually, your purple stem problem is nothing to worry about at all. But to be on the safe side check for any signs of magnesium deficiency. Take a look at our article on identifying magnesium deficiency for more detailed information. If there is no nutrient deficiency, then luckily, purple stem will only last for a short time.

this was jarred up on12-1-18, as u can see there is no physical issues,
even plenty of trichome production,
u can also see the trich’s r so clear they look illuminated in this pic,
weirdest shit i have ever encountered in all my yrs of growing cannabis.!